Bruce Feldman has made a 'Freaks List' for 20 years now, and each installment is full of the players that are insane athletes. Whether they are monsters in the weight room, or they run lightning 40-yard dashes, or a little bit of a variety of freakish things. It's a coveted list to be on, with players wanting to see their names on it and fanbases shouting about how they have 'freaks' on their team. Wisconsin has two this season: Cade Yacamelli and Austin Brown.
Though really it may be three Wisconsin Badgers in the list, as Feldman gives a shoutout to Jackson Acker in the Yacamelli section. Here's a snippet of what he had to say about Yacamelli, who comes in at number 46 on the list:
"The 5-10, 220-pounder is a very explosive athlete. This offseason, he ran a 4.40 40, but that probably wasn’t his most impressive number. He did 10-9 3/4 inches on the broad jump, clocked a 3.96 shuttle time, squatted 635 pounds, vertical jumped 37 1/2 inches and did 33 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. His backfield mate, fullback Jackson Acker, is also pretty Freaky, a 6-2, 248-pounder who clocked a 4.50 40."Bruce Feldman
Yacamelli appeared in all 12 games last season for the Badgers. He played both on special teams and as a running back. He contributed to a handful of the most explosive plays of the season for Wisconsin. One of the more memorable moments was his 30-yard touchdown run against Purdue. He was also really effective against Alabama in his limited opportunities. He had 39 yards on eight carries with a long of a 17-yard rush.
Cade Yacamelli and Austin Brown are considered athletic freaks by Bruce Feldman
Acker is a senior, and while he appears in games a lot on special teams, he's yet to really crack the running back rotation. He's clearly fast, though, as Feldman notes.
The other player that appears at number 64 is safety Austin Brown. Who will be entering the season now as a full-time starter opposite Preston Zachman? Brown is a freakish athlete who can cover the field in a hurry. He slotted in a nickel corner a lot last season and was one of the best in the Big Ten. He's a stud who will dominate from the safety position next season.
Here's a snippet of what Feldman said about Brown:
"The 6-2, 214-pound Brown is really gifted. This offseason, he clocked a 4.40 40, vertical jumped 41 inches and broad jumped 10-8. He also squatted 585 pounds and did 21 reps of 225 on the bench."Bruce Feldman
It's a good sign to see multiple Badgers on this list and a sign of some of the development that is still ongoing under Luke Fickell.